Jeff Bridges: “The more relaxed I am, the work can flow through me in a more truthful way”

Hell or High Water star Jeff Bridges is one of the most-respected actors in Hollywood — mostly because of his laid-back, fun-loving persona. That’s not just a cultivated image that the actor sends out to the public — as Bridges explains to NPR, engaging in a film as a project among friends makes acting so much more enjoyable for him.

Bridges explains that because actors are under pressure to complete their work under time constraints and other conditions, he enjoys creating connections with those he works with in order to succeed. He says, “You know, one of the things that I enjoy so much about what I do is working with actors, and so many of them approach the work kind of like I do. A lot of us go into this situation knowing that we’ve got a lot of hard work to do. We’ve got a time element involved, and so we’ve got to get to be friends so we can relax. And I find that the more relaxed I am, the work can flow through me in a more truthful way.”

In particular, Bridges praises his Hell or High Water co-star Chris Pine for being on the same wavelength. He says, “Chris and I approached the work that way. We really, you know, became friends in a fast sort of way. David Mackenzie, our director, did something wonderful to facilitate this camaraderie. Every weekend, he would invite all of us to a cabin in the middle of Albuquerque where they were editing the film. And he would show us an assembly of the work that we had accomplished that week, and we would have a party and just hang out.”

I imagine a lot of actors would sign up for a film if it meant they got to spend the weekend partying with Jeff Bridges, right?